Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-04
THE WILLIS Case.
Attorney-GeneraI Hogg Concludes His
Argument Before the House in
the Judge Willis Case,
The Majority Report OF the Special
Committee Adopted by Vote of
Sixty-Seven to Twenty-Five.
The Chars es VIII BE Taken Up by the Sem
ate as r. Special Order Thursday
Morning-The House Vote.

AUSTIN, TEx, March THE Attor-
ney-Geueral continued his argument this
morning in the Judge Willis case. He
said that an address was distinguishable
from an Impeachment in this: That an
impeachment was in the nature OF
charges originating in the House like the
bill of indictment in the grand Jury room.
These charges of the House are presented
to the Senate, which forms the high court
of impeachment. The proceedings are
similar to any court of judiCatUre. An
address is for those acts that do not
come under the head of high crimes
and misdemeanors. There are no rules
or presidents governing an address. 1t
is similar proceeding to the passage of
any other joint resolution. The House
can of its own motion refer the charges
to special committee, who after hearing
the testimony can report the facts to the
House upon which they act. The pro-
ceGdingS in an address are similar to
those in The case of q contested election.
He said that the House was not without
eviGence. The majority presented q
chain Of facts and conclusions of the
committee on these facts, charging Judge
Willis with corruption. The minority did
not justify him and tacitly charged him
with criminal negligence by an apology
for his oLduct. He then reaG the reso-
luton & wing the power TO the committee
to investigate the charges and adopt
such rules and regulations as they
thought best. They had adopted
the rules of criminal procedure IS
in other courts. He said that the prose
cution took the position that the proceed
inGS in Judge Willis court were void.
They were collusive and c0rrupt, and he
presented authorities TO support mis- posi-
ton, in that the grand Jury was not law
full body. They We're interested parties,
and the finding of the bills by them was
the defeat Of the state in the collection OF
her lawful revenue. Speaking OF the
trials en- the agreed testimony of the law
yers in Judge Willis court, he read the
law TO show that the confessions and
agreements of the defendants must be
made only after they had been notified,
and it was freely admitted that il the
cases in Judge Willis court the defend
ants did not even know they had been III
dicted. In refuting Major WaltOn's po-
sition that the court could try the
defendants without their presence
he read several cases that held
that no lawyer could make statements
for his clients that would have the
force of evidence or be binding on a
defendant. When Woodman agreed to
remit the tine in the punishment against
the defendants in the unlawful enclosure
cases, Judge Willis then and there had
notice of the collision between the
District Attorney and the defendant,
because no power except the Jury could
dispense with the Imprisonment pSrt of
the punishment under the law. In con-
clusion ne asked the Legislature to view
Judge Willis as the Judge of the Pan
handle court, surrounded by all the fumes
OF corruption evidenced By an interested
grand jury, Il partial petit jury, paid
District Attorney and Sheriff, and yet be
claimed to be innocent of knowing that
this fraud WAS being perpetrated upon
the fair name Of justice. II he did not
know it he was too pure to hold any
human office; if he knew il h. Was too
corrupt 10 even BE- recognized by decent
peoD,9.
When the House convened in afternoon
sessiudt the pending business was the re
port Of the s,.ec'a. committee on the
judge Willis case.
Mr.. Mills moved TIA previous question
on the majority report, which was
adopted by vote of g. to 81, FIVE being
absent. Those voting yee were: Bell Of
Denton, Baird, Booth, Bransford, Blu
chanau, Camp, Chapman, Clark of r d
RIVER, Cone, Curry, Davis of Falls,
Do!en, Ellison, Faubion, Garner, Gar
WOOD, GAL, GHeland. Goeth, Graves,
Hargis, Hunt, Kirlicks, Jackson, Jar
rott, johnson, Jones, Light, Mate
jOwsky, McCa'eb, McClauahan, Nc
Glugaey, McGehee, Mcguire, Nelson,
Mil, Moore of Travis, Moore of Wash
irgton; Newton OF Cherokee, Newton of
Tsrrant, Nicholson, Northington, Page,
Parks, Patterson, Payne, Preudergast,
Richardson, Rugel, Sadler, Sharp, Shleld,
Smith of BJsque, Smith ii Travis,
Stringer, Strong, Tate, Tol5ert, Temp.
kins, Truit, Utiger, Voorhees,, Waskom,
Wilson, Wood, Woolsey and Wright.
Those voting nay were: Bassett, Bat
tie, Baylor, Blair, Christenberry, Clegg,
Davis of Shelby, Fuller, Gresham, Hud-
gins, Huling, Humphreys of Lsvaca, Hum
phreys of Wise, Kennedy, Larkin, Parker,
Robinson, Shellburne, Showalter, Sta
Piles and Williamson.
Absent: Alexander, Bard, Heath,
Plumly and Steele.
The further consideration of the
charges against Judge Willis as adopted
by the House will be taken up by the
Senate Thursday morning at II O'Clock
as special order.